NEWS AND NOTES

BACK NUMBERS OF SY.SZ’Z’~M

Back numbers of Volumes l-6 (1973-1978) of Sysrem may be obtained from the General Editor at US $7.50, GB f4.00, DM 15.00 per volume (three issues), or US $2.75, GB fl.50, D.LI 5.50 per single issue.

An index of contents of each volume will be sent on request, free of charge.

CALL NEWSLETTERS: MUESLI NEWS

Next in line in our series of CALL newsletter portraits is MUESLI NEWS. MUESLI is an acronym for Micro Users in English as a Second Language Institutions. MUESLI is a SIG (Special Interest Group) within IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language). The newsletter is edited by Chris Jones whose article in Sy,.rrem 14(2) (1986) epitomizes the British school of CALL: “It’s not so much the program, more what you do. with it: the importance of methodology in CALL”.

Individual members of IATEFL pay a supplement of E3.00 (US$5.25) for IMUESLI membership. This buys them 64 double column DIN A4 pages. MUESLI’s secretary, Glyn Jones, kindly sent us three numbers of the newsletter. Subscribers are regularly informed about meetings and conferences (IATEFL, TESOL, FIPLV/Eurocentres). MUESLI News also has an announcement section on the final one or two pages containing short items of interest to hackers and teachers. The first page is regularly taken up by an Editorial. Between front page and announcement section one finds short articles on various subjects. Here’s a few examples:

Sue Fortescue, “CALL: what’s next?” Tony Williams, “An experience in desk top publishing” Alison Piper, “Research into using the word processor with learner writers” Steve Terry, “Learner training for self-access CALL . . .” Roland Nyns, “CAR: Computer assisted reading . . .” Gary Motteram, “Using MICROTEXT to teach reading skills” John Higgins, “MUESLI software library: an update”

Also to be found within the pages of MUESLI NEWSLETTER: the occasional software review, a prize crossword, letters to the Editor and squibs.

To join MUESLI, write to their secretary:

Glyn Jones Eurocentres Davies’s School of English 56, Eccleston Square London SWlV 1PQ United Kingdom

135

I36 NEWS -XY.D \OTES

RECHNERGESTUTZTE FORSCHUNGEN ZUR ANGEWANDTEN LINGUISTIK

Die Rezension van Werner Beile in S,vsrem 17.3 mag so manchem Leser die Frage

nahegelegt haben, ob neben futurischem Zeitbezug such noch andere grammatische Phanomene im Rahmen der von Dieter lMindt geleiteten Forschungen einer Aufhellung zugefuhrt werden konnten. Die Antuort gibt Mindt in einem weiteren Band der Reihe Schule und Forschung:

Dieter Mindt (ed.) (1988) EDVin der Angewandren Linguistik. Frankfurt a.M.: Diesterweg.

Darin sind die anlaI3lich eines Symposiums an der Freien Universitat Berlin im Februar 1988 gehaltenen Vortrage von Projektmitarbeitern abgedruckt.

Die Struktur des Bandes wird durch die Kapiteluberschriften “Methoden”, “Ergebnisse” und “Automatische Verfahren zur Klassifizierung von Sprachdaten” markiert.

Die funf Beitrage des Methodenteils erlautern-immer in Bezugnahme aufeinander- Verfahren und Mittel rechnergestutzter Korpusanalyse. Man findet darin such einen Beitrag zur “Anwendung des chi-quadrat-Tests in der Linguistik”. Vermutlich hatte man diese Information in die folgenden vier Aufsatze des “Ergebnis”-teils einarbeiten konnen, aber die separate Darstellung mag ihre Vorteile haben. Wie sehen die Ergebnisse aus? In drei Fallen geht es urn den Vergleich der Vorkommenshaufigkeit bestimmter Erscheinungen in den Banden des Lehrbuchs Learning English Modern Course und in Svartvik & Quirks A Corpus of English Conversation:

Felicitas Tesch untersucht some und any in affirmativen und negativen Kontexten;

Ingrid Haase geht der Temporafolge in Konditionalsatzen nach;

Gertrud Pannek erforscht das Vorkommen von Relativpronomen bzw. deren Fehlen.

Im vierten Aufsatz berichtet Dietrich Lange uber die Verteilung von Tempusrelationen und Verben in indirekter Rede, wie sie sich im LOB-Korpus spiegelt.

Nicht immer sind die Vorkommenshaufigkeiten in Lehrbuch und LOB-Korpus ubereinstimmend. Das hatte ja such vorausgesetzt, dal3 die Lehrbuchautoren bereits von den hier berichteten Ergebnissen wul3ten, als sie an die Konzeption von Learning English gingen. Die Berliner Forscher konzedieren such, dal3 didaktische Entscheidungen Abweichungen rechtfertigen konnen. Und die Lehrwerkautoren werden auf dem Argument bestehen, daI3 es nicht so wichtig ist, wie htiufig ein Item im gesprochenen Englisch auftritt, sondern wie leicht oder wie schwierig es gelernt wird. Auskunft dariiber erteilt erst eine dritte Institution: die Zweitsprachenerwerbsforschung.

Im dritten und letzten Teil der Publikation wird in funf Beitragen dariiber nachgedacht, wie man den AnalyseprozeR weiter automatisieren kann. Hier spiegelt sich noch einmal die Gesamtstruktur des Bandes. Auf einftihrende Uberlegungen dariiber, wie man die Ergebnisse von KWIC-Konkordanzen weiter aufarbeiten konnte, folgt die konkrete

NEWS AND NOTES I37

Anwendung: Christel Weber erlautert die “Rechnergestiitzte Analyse der Praposition fo”. Nebenbei erfahrt man, dal3 und welche 13 englischen Prapositionen 90% aller Falle abdecken.

Wenn der Klett Verlag eine verbesserte Version des Lehrbuchs auf den Markt bringt-mit Verdankung an die Berliner Adresse--, dann werden die Forschungen, iiber die hier berichtet wird, nicht iiberfliissig. Die Anwendungen in der Lehrwerkanalyse stellen nur einen Teil der insgesamt erzielten Resultate und Moglichkeiten dar.

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH GRAMMAR

Schrampfer Azar, Betty (1989) Understanding and Using Engkh Grammar. Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall.

Murphy, R. and Altman, R. (1989) Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Unlike Eliza Doolittle who asserted that, “I don’t want to talk grammar. I want to talk like a lady”, in my own experience most non-native learners of English would much rather “know” the grammar than attempt to communicate at all!

The above-mentioned publications represent yet two more attempts to get to grips with the problem of teaching/learning what I consider to be the bare bones of any language. Both books are aimed at intermediate/upper intermediate students and, it is claimed, can be used both by the teacher in the classroom and by the student at home. In fact this second edition of Using and Understanding English Grammar is not only accompanied by the usual Student Workbooks but also by a Teacher’s Guide which would seem, from a description of its contents, to be almost idiot-proof.

Regarding content, both provide comprehensive coverage of all the major stumbling blocks, i.e. tenses, articles, prepositions, gerund versus infinitive and so on, although Schrampfer Azar relegates comparisons to a companion volume Fundamentals of English Grammar

intended for “mid-level” students.

However, perhaps the most salient points of contrast between the two books under review are those of format, presentation and accessibility for the learner. Schrampfer Azar organizes her teaching points under reasonably succinct chapter headings, such as Verb tense, Noun clauses etc.; these are then sub-divided into their component parts. For example, under Chapter 8 “Showing relationships between ideas” she includes a unit entitled “Reduction of adverb clauses to modifying phrases”-which I’m sure would prove perplexing to even the most enthusiastic “upper level learner”. Admittedly, there is an equally comprehensive index which includes a rather more straightforward alphabetical listing of key words alongside the listing of more complex terminology. As she states in her preface, each chapter is intended to be a self-contained unit, including exercises for guided oral practice, transformation and completion exercises as well as rather less mechanical tasks such as error analysis.

However, given the limitations of any guide to understanding/using English grammar, there seems to be little to substantiate her claim that any of the exercises alone will actually “engender creative and independent use of the target structures”.

In my opinion, lLIurphy and Altmann have come up with a rather more successful format in that the book comprises 124 units, each of which deals with a particular point of grammar. Both the Confents page and Index provide explicit and easy reference for teacher and student alike. For example, under Modal Verbs, Unit 31, there is the simple listing “have to and must” which can easily be found in the lexical index at the back of the book.

Speaking as one who has alvvays been loath to conduct a class entitled simply “grammar”, I find the caveat in the introduction that “It is certainly not intended that anyone should work through this book from beginning to end” highly commendable! Moreover, it is also pointed out that the individual units themselves-mere summaries of points to be taught- should NOT be used in the classroom but are intended for reference only; the teacher is left to present the content in whatever way s/he chooses. The accompanying follow-up exercises may then be completed in class, or possibly more profitably set for homework/self-study.

All in all, both books provide a wealth of valuable back-up material for the teacher in revising or even presenting certain points of English grammar. However, from a teacher- centred perspective, I personally would recommend Grammar in Use. Of course, from a more learner-centred perspective it would obviously be a good idea to test student reactions to both publications!

(Heather Kempson, University of Bayreuth)

DIAS~HAUEN IN UBERBLENDTECHNIK

Das Horspiel ist nicht die einzige Form des produktiven Umgangs mit AV-1Iitteln. Bei Diaschauen kommt es auf die genaue Synchronisation von Bild und Ton an. In der Literatur wird gelegentlich dari.iber berichtet, da0 Schiiler mit sehr vie1 Eifer such fremdsprachige Ton-Bildschauen zusammengestellt haben.

Fur den interessierten Lehrer bzw. die Arbeitsgemeinschaft hat die Kodak AG einen Leitfaden herausgegeben:

Ailes iiber die kreative Gestalrung der Dia-Projektion Auf knappem Raum (33 Seiten) und gegen eine Schutzgebiihr von DM 5.- kommt ein Heftchen ins Haus, in dem verstandlicherweise die Vorziige des Kodak CAROUSEL S-AV 1050 Projektors, des Philips D 6920 VV-Recorders und der Kodak S-AV Uberblendeinheit gepriesen werden. Aber die vielen Tips und Kniffs fur die Herstellung einer audiovisuellen Schau lassen sich grdl3tenteils such dann verwerten, wenn man mit anderer Hardware arbeitet. Interessenten schreiben an:

Kodak AC Stuttgart Marketingbereich Audiovision Postfach 369 D-7000 Stuttgart 60

NEWS 4ND hOTES 139

und erwahnen dankenswerterweise System als ihre Quelle, damit wir Sie weiter auf dem laufenden halten konnen.

ACADEMIC WRITING: PROCESS AND PRODUCT

is the title of a new book in the ELT Documents series edited by Pauline Robinson and published by Modern English Publications and the British Council in 1988.

A thought provoking collection of papers which were submitted to the 1985 Selmous Conference. As its name implies (Special English Language Materials for Overseas English Sfudenfs), Selmous members are involved in ESP/EAP at the tertiary level of education. Their work covers both pre- and in-sessional language courses for overseas English students. The theme of the conference refers to the present concern in ESP (and, it might be added in most other fields of learning), to make the learning process more learner, less teacher, orientated.

The first contributor, Ronald White, does not wholly reject the traditional model-centred approach to teaching writing skills, but considers that the model must be of an abstract kind which leads students away from writing according to fixed schemata. As an example of what he means, he quotes the Flower and Hayes procedures for developing “processes” (methods by which students are encouraged to write). A number of subsequent contributors follow in the same vein.

What emerges from a reading of these papers is the extent to which writing is a diverse activity demanding a range of interpretative, structuring and imaginative skills which make particular demands on non-native users of English. To regard it as a process activity is commendable considering that it is an essentially recursive one. As expected hovvever, opinions diverge on how best to encourage it, some contributors believing that this is best done within the context of the students’ subject specialization, others, that the stimulation to writing (at least, initially), can and should take a variety of different forms. Additionally the genre must be considered. What problems arise when essay writing is being taught? (Unfamiliarity with the Anglo-Saxon essay writing tradition; appropriate title interpretation, etc). Liz Hamp-Lyons and Tony Dudley Evans consider some of these points. The value of pre-session examination answer writing courses is mooted by Tony Lynch who concludes that since it is difficult to assess their effectiveness their probable placebo effect is as good a justification as any for their continued existence! Included among some of the more discursive papers are a number containing some practical teaching hints. Joan Allwright proposes the reformulation technique suggested originally by Levenston and developed by Cohen and Allwright as a solution to the central problem of how the writing ability of non-native users of English can be improved without over imposing our own ideas concerning structure and without dwelling too much on “surface” errors of syntax, lexis, spelling and punctuation, which according to another contributor, Cyril Weir, are of secondary importance anyway when subject tutors are judging non-native students’ work.

Florence Davies’ consideration of the need for “top-down” and “bottom-up” strategies, and her wish to integrate reading and writing genre-based syllabuses draw together some

of the ideas proposed by her fellow contributors. Roger Anderson’s concluding paper pleads for more collaboration between language teachers and subject specialists with a view to reducing the over elaboration in the writing of scientific reports by non-native students. (Advice equally applicable of course to other disciplines.) Rather amusingly he takes a passing swipe at the academic establishment (shades of W. B. Yeats !).

A readable series of papers therefore which admirably reflect current preoccupations in the field of academic writing, of value to those involved in the teaching of writing skills to the native and non-native English user alike.

(Matthew Maxwell, University of Bayreuth)

KRIEG UND FRIEDEN

Aus AnlaB der Wiener IDV-Tagung hat der Internationale Deutschlehrerverband ein Buch herausgegeben und mit der Publikation die Verlage Langenscheidt (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) und VEB Verlag Enzyklopadie (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) beauftragt. Es handelt sich urn ein Lesebuch mit 100 Texten aus fiinf Jahrhunderten. Sein Titel: Dem Frieden entgegen. Autoren aus der Bundesrepublik, der DDR, aus osterreich und der Schweiz sind vertreten. Sie aul3ern sich zum Schrecken des Krieges, klagen Grausamkeit an, zeigen vor allem aber Wege zum Frieden auf und machen neue Hoffnung.

Der Generaldirektor der Unesco, Federico Mayor, hat ein Geleitvvort verfafit, in dem er u.a. ausfuhrt: “In den vorgelegten alteren und neueren Texten spiegeln sich mancherlei Stromungen der deutschsprachigen Literatur. Bei aller Unterschiedlichkeit stimmen sie jedoch uberein in ihrem Friedenswillen und in der entschiedenen Absage an Krieg, Gewalt und Zerstorung. So wenig sich die Autoren in Stil und Empfinden gleichen, so eindeutig bestarken sie den Leser in der lebensnotwendigen Erkenntnis: Wir mussen iiberwinden, was uns trennt, und fordern, was uns verbindet”.

MOTIVIERUNGSTECHNIKEN IM FREMDSPRACHENUNTERRICHT

is the title of a new book by Dr Helmut Reisener, published by Max Hueber Verlag in the Forum Sprache series. Based to a large extent on the author’s own experience in the classroom, the book presents a great variety of suggestions for motivating pupils learning foreign languages. Although most of the examples given refer to teaching English, they can easily be used for other languages.

A language can be successfully mastered only through active participation; in other words a pupil must “experience” a language rather than assimilate knowledge passively. To this end a pupil must be able to enjoy the fruits of his labours here and now, to see clearly from the very beginning why he is learning a language, for some kind of immediate reward and not merely because of a more distant goal.

As Dr Reisener is at pains to emphasize, the book does not set out to provide the language

NEWS AND NOTES 111

teacher with foolproof recipes for success, but rather to supply a pragmatic basis for experimentation and discussion. The central part of the book gives many useful examples

of different approaches to teaching and practising what has been learnt, and the use of media, especially cassettes, is discussed in detail. In the final chapter the author presents the most important criteria for choosing a language course. This very readable and practical book should be a helpful guide to any language teacher seeking new impulses in the classroom.

(Nancy Hulek, University of Bayreuth)

FREMDSPRACHE DEUTSCH: EINE NEUE ZEITSCHRIFT FUR DIE PRAXIS DES DEUTSCHUNTERRICHTS

Im Juni 1989 ist die erste in Zusammenarbeit zwischen Klett und Goethe-Institut entstandene Nummer der Zeitschrift Fremdspruche Deufsch auf den Markt gekommen. Fremdsprache Deutsch-mit dem Untertitel “Zeitschrift fur die Praxis des Deutschunterrichts”-wird vom Vorstand des Goethe-Instituts und drei bekannten deutschen Fachdidaktikern (Hans- Jurgen Krumm; Gerhard Neuner; Hans-Eberhard Piepho) herausgegeben. Die erste Nummer ist dem Schreiben gewidmet. Sie enthalt Arbeiten von H.-J. Krumm (Thema: “Schreiben”, S. 5-8), Bernd Kast (Vom Wort zum Satz zum Text, S. 9-16), Ingrid Mummert (Freies Schreiben mit Poesie, S. 17-22), Lys Samartinho (Komm doch mit!: Lyrik selber schreiben im Deutschunterricht, S. 23), Ko Melief (Klassenkorrespondenz, S. 24-27), Gerhard Neuner (Spielend schreiben lernen, S. 28-35), Maria Drazynska-Deja (Vom gelenkten zum selbstandigen Schreiben, S. 36-37), Hans-Eberhard Piepho (Vier Buchstaben zum Diktat, S. 38-39) und Michael Friedrich (Elektronisch schreiben, S. 40-43).

Die Schriftleitung von Fremdsprache Deutsch liegt in den Handen von:

Dr. Sigbert Latzel Goethe-Institut Munchen GollierstraBe 4 D-8000 Munchen 1

Wenn Sie ihm schreiben, weil Sie einen Artikel in seiner Zeitschrift veroffentlichen wollen, dann machen Sie ihn doch bitte such auf System als Ihre Quelle aufmerksam. Danke.

THE TEACHABILITY OF LANGUAGE

Through the kind offices of the Elmsford, NY branch of Pergamon Press we were sent a copy of

Rice, Mabel L. and Schiefelbusch, Richard L. (eds) (1989) The Teachability of Language.

Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes, xiii + 370 pp.

The hardcover edition, which costs $44.00, contains a total of 11 papers which have been

grouped under the following headings: The nature of language (3 papers), Learner characteristics (4 papers), Teaching and learning strategies (4 papers). In Part III Lily Wong Fillmore reports on “Teachabiliry and second language acquisition”, pp. 31 l-332. Second language learning, we are told, “can be affected by a host of variables”, but the model presented in this paper-it consists of three main components: learner characteristics, speaker characteristics and settin, 0 characteristics-can accommodate them all. The components of the model interact in such a way that when learner characteristics work against language learning others can compensate. This is where “teachability” comes into the picture. The notion of “teachability” goes beyond simply offering communicative support to learners by native speakers, says Fillmore, and she continues: “It seems that what teachers have to do is provide students with a rich and varied exposure to the language so individuals are able to find, in that input, help for learning whatever they are read) to learn” (p. 330). Hear, hear.

DEUTSCH-POLNISCHES KOLLOQUIUXI: KONTROVERSE POSITIONEN

Als Band 29 der Reihe Manuskripte zur Sprachlehrforschung, die mit Beginn dieses Bandes im Universittitsverlag Dr. N. Brockmeyer erscheint, ist soeben die Dokumentation eines deutsch-polnischen Kolloquiums auf den Markt gekommen:

Kbnigs, Frank G. und Szulc, Aleksander (eds) (1989) Linguistisch rrnd psycholinguisfisch orientierte Forschungen zum Fremdsprachenunterricht. Bochum: Dr. N. Brockmeyer Verlag.

Das Kolloquium hatte im November 1987 an der Universitat Krakau stattgefunden. Es wurden kontroverse Positionen vorgetragen. Die beiden Herausgeber haben es aber nicht als ihre Aufgabe betrachtet, “die inhaltliche Ausgestaltung der einzelnen Beitrtige in die eine oder andere Richtung hin zu beeinflussen” (1). Die unterschiedliche Entuicklung in Forschung und Unterricht in den beiden Landern wird offen zur Sprache gebracht.

Am Anfang des 15 Ausfsitze umfassenden Bandes stehen Arbeiten, in denen es urn “Fragen des allgemeinen Zugriffs auf Fremdsprachenunterricht durch die an seiner Erforschung interessierten Disziplinen” . . ., “urn Grundfragen der Sprachgenerierung und deren didaktische Bedeutung” . . . und urn den “Zusammenhang zwischen dem Lernen einer Fremdsprache und der Auspr%gung der lernerseitigen Identitgt” (2) geht.

Daran schlieflen sich 4 Beitrgge zum Thema Fehler an, denen ihrerseits 4 Aufsgtze zum Bereich Lehrwerkforschung folgen. Die abschliel3enden Beitrage sind Fragen der Sprachproduktion bzw. deren mentaler (Vor)organisation gewidmet.

Die Reihe Manuskripte wr Sprachlehrforschung dient der VerGffentlichung von Arbeitsergebnissen aus allen Teilen der Sprachlehr- und Jernforschung sowie der sie bertihrenden Nachbardisziplinen. Die Herausgeber (Karin Kleppin, Frank G. Ktinigs und Horst Raabe) arbeiten an der Ruhr-UniversiGt Bochum.

NEUS .AND NOTES I-l3

THE ART OF SCIENTIFIC WRITING

The New York office of Pergamon Press received and passed on to the editors of System a useful publication jointly authored by two German and one American scholar:

Ebel, Hans F., Bliefert, Claus and Russey, William E. (1987) The Art of Scientific Wrifing. Weinheim: VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, 493 pp., $24.00,

which one might have wanted to recommend to readers of this journal had it not been for the subtitle (From Student Reports to Professional Publications in Chemistry and Relafed Fields) which is prone to alienate researchers in the Humanities. The latter may become further alienated after learning that “verbs are words of action” (p. 360) or that “nomification” is “the conversion of an expression of action into a noun” (p. 360). It is a pity the authors did not desist from teaching their readers English grammar, stating i.e. that “in the phrase ‘the temperature dropped suddenly . . .’ the last word must be an adverb because it modifies ‘dropped’ (a verb)” (p. 364).

The book can, however, be used in a pick-and-choose-fashion. There are useful chapters on “Typewriter or word processor?” or “The nature of scientific journals”; Appendix C contains information on “Authors and their rights”. A comprehensive index helps the reader who wants to access the units of information in a piecemeal way.

THE FIFTH SKILL: ALIVE AND KICKING

MT or machine translation may be the order of the day. That there are other aspects worth the foreign language teacher’s notice has recently been documented by Peter W. Krawutschke (ed.) in a volume of articles under the title of Translator and Interpreter Training and Foreign Language Pedagogy, which was published by the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1989 as Volume II of the American Translators Associafion (ATA) Scholarly Monograph Series.

Some of the articles are of particular interest to the foreign-language teacher: Bowen, D.: Pendulum swings in language teaching and translation, pp. 26-38. Weller, G.: Some polemic aspects of translation in foreign language pedagogy revisited, pp. 39-50. Bowen, M.: Language learning before translator/interpreter training, pp. 51-64. Niedzielski, H. and Kummer, M.: Learning translating and interpreting through interlanguage, pp. 132-146.

These are only a fraction of a total of 12 papers, including the editors’ introduction.

The ATA Series consists of hardcover monographs published periodically by the Center for Research in Translation at the State University of New York at Binghamton.

IU NEWS AND NOTES

NEUE BEITRAGE ZU EINEM ALTEN THEMA

Eine Umfrage bei Kulturinstituten im Ausland bestatigte dem Referat 42 (Arbeitsstelle fur wissenschaftliche Didaktik) des Munchener Goethe-Instituts, was sich seit einigen Jahren als Tendenz abgezeichnet hatte: es besteht Bedarf an Ubersetzungskursen. Gleichzeitig wurde jedoch deutlich, dal3 man sich “aus der Perspektive des Goethe-Instituts auf Neuland” (Henning Schroedter-Albers im Vorwort der hier anzuzeigenden Publikation) befand. Urn dieses neue Land einmal grundlich zu beackern, veranstaltete man im Oktober 1988 ein Seminar in Miinchen. Ein Jahr spater liegt ein Sammelband im DIN A4-Format vor:

Frank G. Konigs (red.) (1989) iibersetzungswissenschaft und Fremdsprachenunterricht. Mtinchen: Goethe Institut, 213 pp.

Darin sind 9 Aufsatze zum Thema abgedruckt. Sie wollen “ein erstes Informationsangebot” (Vorwort) sein. Im einzelnen handelt es sich urn:

Konigs, Frank G.: Ubersetzen und Fremdsprachenunterricht, pp. 7-14. Snell-Hornby, Mary: Eine integrierte Ubersetzungstheorie fur die Praxis des Ubersetzens, pp. 15-51. Stolze, Radegundis: Die Kategorien des Ubersetzens-Hermeneutik und Textlinguistik, pp. 53-70. Rein, Katharina: Ubersetzungstheorie und Praxis der Ubersetzungskritik, pp. 71-93. Nord, Christiane: Textanalyse und Ubersetzungsauftrag, pp. 95-I 19. Honig, Hans G.: Die ubersetzungsrelevante Textanalyse, pp. 121-145. Konigs, Frank G.: Ubersetzungsdidaktik und Psycholinguistik, pp. 147-178. House, Juliane: Pragmatische Aspekte des Ubersetzens im Fremdsprachenunterricht, pp. 179-198. Ettinger, Stefan: Sol1 man im Fremdsprachenunterricht ubersetzen? pp. 199-213. Wenn Sie an dem Sammelband interessiert sind, schreiben Sie unter Erwahnung Ihrer Quelle-System-an das:

Goethe-Institut Ref. 42 Lenbachplatz 3 D-8000 Munchen 2 Bundesrepublik Deutschland

IS GRAMMAR RELEVANT TO LANGUAGE TEACHING?

Vivian J. Cook says “yes” in a booklet entitled The Relevance of Grammar in the Applied Linguistics of Language Teaching which was published in the spring of 1989 as No. 22 of the CLCS (Centre for Language and Communication Studies/Trinity College Dublin) Occasional Papers Series. The first half of his 43-page paper “draws attention to the limited

and dated concepts of grammar prevalent in the applied linguistics of language teaching” (p, 3), whereas the second half “outlines some contemporary ideas” [Universal grammar (UG); Generalized phrase structure grammar (GPSG)] of grammar and suggests ways in

NEWS AND NOTES I45

which they “might be more fruitful” (p. 3). Cook deplores the fact that “applied linguists, teaching methodologists and coursebook writers evidently disagree with mainstream linguists in the role they assign to grammar” (p. 2), and he goes on to explain that “the UG position necessitates a rethinking of the role of grammar in language teaching” (p. 30). About GPSG he says that it “provides a useful descriptive alternative for applied linguists who are put off by the psychological accessories that go with UG . . .” (p. 33). In a final chapter on “similarities between the syntactic models” Cook comes to the conclusion that “the learning of vocabulary may be the most important and most controllable part of language learning” (p. 35), not without warning that “the description of the syntax and the vocabulary known by the native speaker must be integrated” (p. 34).

BIBLIOGRAPHY ON READING RESEARCH: MORE THAN 20,000 ENTRIES

The Alvina Trent Burrows Institute announces a new annual supplement, comprising 1000 titles, to the William S. Gray Research Collection in Reading. This brings the grand total of titles in the collection to an impressive 20,727.

The Gray collection, arranged by author and subject (on printed 4 x 6 cards with full annotations), affords the user easy access to the full-text documents which are reproduced on 4 x 6 microfiche. Major topics covered are: general summaries of research in reading, teacher preparation and practice, sociology of reading, physiology and psychology of reading, teaching of reading, atypical groups, and linguistics.

If interested write to the:

Alvina Trent Burrows Institute, Inc. Box 49 Manhasset, NY 11030 USA

OkFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PUBLISHES BOOKWORMS

Bookworms is a new series of Readers for all levels, from elementary to advanced. At the lower stages, many of the stories have been written especially for the series. Higher up the scale most of the books have been adapted. The adaptation rests on a syllabus which takes account of both the more traditional approaches and recent research into the nature of reading difficulty. The approximate vocabulary count for each stage is:

Stage 1: 400 words Stage 2: 700 words Stage 3: 1000 words Stage 4: 1400 words Stage 5: 1800 words Stage 6: 2500 words

At all stages exercises for classroom or private use have been appended. There are also supporting glossaries to help students with vocabulary.

116 &ENS AND NOTES

System was sent the first 14 pieces of the new series. For details see our Books Received section.

HERBERT CHRIST ZUIM 60. GEBURTSTAG

Herbert Christ, Professor fur Didaktik der franzosischen Sprache und Literatur an der Universitat GieBen und Mitglied des Editorial Board von System ist im September 1989 sechzig Jahre ah geworden. Er wird mit einer Festschrift geehrt, die im Gunter Narr Verlag erscheint:

Kleinschmidt, Eberhard (ed.) (1989) Fremdsprachenunterricht zwischen Sprachenpolitik und Praxis. Tubingen, XL11 +410 pp., DM 120. (Subskription bis zum 31. Dezember 1989-danach DM 144.-).

Wir gratulieren Herbert Christ zu diesem Ereignis und rufen ihm ad multos annos zu.